This post is the second in a blog series exploring how education leaders are using the Observation Protocol for Teachers of English Learners (OPTEL). It was written by Californians Together Communications Associate David Gonzalez and Professional Learning Specialist Amber Riehman. View the first installment
Data holds immense potential for creating classroom experiences that can transform a student’s education. For data to have this impact, education leaders must view quality data collection as an opportunity to reflect on and improve instructional practice, rather than simply a box checking exercise. In our conversations with educators and administrators about the Observation Protocol for Teachers of English Learners (OPTEL), we found enthusiasm for ensuring that, beyond accountability, teachers are empowered to use data to inform instructional practice and create an evidence base to create a clearer picture of student language and literacy development.
OPTEL Surfaces Deeper Questions
Educators reported that the OPTEL shined a light on concepts that are critically important to understanding language development for English learners. When teachers have a tool to better understand how students develop expressive language, for instance, they can create practices that grow vocabulary, complex sentence structuring, and overall communication skills. Likewise, it is a tool to better understand where each student is in their receptive language, the ability to understand words and language. Beyond benchmarking what students know, educators are excited at the potential for OPTEL to highlight growth opportunities.
The Shift
Every student learns differently, and they each do so at a unique pace. It is no secret that teachers take great effort to tailor instruction to each student through scaffolding strategies. When OPTEL acts as a mirror to teaching, opportunities to be more intentional about those supports become clearer. Educators can examine not only how students are speaking, writing, listening, and reading, but also whether classroom instruction provides meaningful opportunities for students to practice and demonstrate those skills. Data empowers educators to amplify learning rather than simplify content.
One team of educators described how OPTEL reframed their conversations from simply asking, “How is the student doing academically?” to asking “What language does this student need to access grade-level learning?” This shift gives educators a shared language for discussing student language development and moves the conversation toward instructional response.
Observations also prompted educators to ask questions about instructional design: “If we want to collect evidence of X, how do we need to structure the lesson?” This is an important shift. We cannot fully understand what students can do if our lesson design does not provide meaningful opportunities for them to demonstrate their skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
The question then becomes not only What does the data tell us about the student? but also What does the data tell us about the opportunities we are creating for students to use and develop language?
Recommendations
OPTEL can be a powerful starting point for connecting what we know about students’ language development to instructional planning. One opportunity is to use OPTEL evidence alongside Part II of the California ELD Standards, which focuses on how students use language to participate meaningfully in content-area learning.
Rather than treating language development as separate from content instruction, educators can use OPTEL data to identify the language students need to engage with grade-level content and then intentionally design opportunities for students to practice those language functions and structures. For example, if OPTEL evidence indicates that students need additional opportunities to develop expressive language, educators can examine upcoming lessons and ask: Where will students have meaningful opportunities to explain, justify, describe, compare, or build on one another’s ideas?
This creates a more connected instructional cycle: OPTEL helps us see where students are in their language development; reflection helps us consider what that evidence means; and intentional lesson design creates opportunities for students to use, develop, and demonstrate language in service of grade-level learning.
Ultimately, the value of OPTEL is not just in the data it produces. Its potential lies in helping educators see students’ language development more clearly and use that understanding to make intentional decisions about instruction. When data becomes a mirror for both student learning and instructional design, it can help educators move beyond measuring growth to creating the conditions for students’ continued language and literacy development.